


We Heal

by ClearEyes95



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alive Tadashi, Coma, Gen, Hospitalization, Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 13:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11231847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClearEyes95/pseuds/ClearEyes95
Summary: Two years ago, Tadashi Hamada died in a showcase fire.Two years ago, Hiro Hamada was trapped in a fiery hall after the SFIT Showcase.Tadashi waits everyday for his little brother to move on, while Hiro mourns and learns to live with the absence of his brother.





	We Heal

**Author's Note:**

> After a long absence (from posting) on this site, I finally decided to add a story that I posted previously on FFnet. I also changed my username to match that one so that there is no confusion on whether I wrote this or not. I hope you like it. This is my contribution to the angsty part of the BH6 Fandom.  
> Enjoy!

It was a warm afternoon. The sun had come out, and the birds were chirping, and the day was simply radiant. As the winter moved away to spring, Tadashi envied those who walked around him with smiles on their faces and carefree lives. He envied when he used to be one of those. And as he walked the way too familiar street to the main entrance of the hospital, he couldn’t help but exhale a sad sigh. _It’s been two years already_ , he thought to himself while he walked the path he could trace with his eyes closed. How he wished he didn’t have to, how he wished he didn’t know the way so well, how he wished that this wasn’t part of his daily routine. However, his wishes were for naught, and he woke to the harsh reality when he wound up, as he did every day, in front of the door four hundred twenty and with a heavy heart he opened it. 

Despite having passed more than seven hundred and thirty days since he first walked into the hospital, he was never prepared for the sight that greeted him when he entered. Hooked up to at least five machines, and looking very tiny, weak and frail, was his brother, Hiro Hamada, looking the same as he did yesterday and the day before that. Lying on a bed, helpless, pale, frail. His closed eyelids and relaxed body posture made him seem like he was just sleeping, and for an instant, Tadashi allowed himself to believe that he was. In a sense, he was sleeping… He’d been sleeping for two years. And even though Tadashi’s eyes watered and he wanted to cry, right there and there, to rage against everyone and anyone –because despite what everyone told him it just didn’t get any easier –he swallowed the knot on his throat and faked a smile, grateful for once that his baby brother couldn’t see it. 

“Hey there,” he started, the feeling of awkwardness at having a one sided conversation having long passed, and he proceeded to sit down in his usual plastic chair on the right side of the bed, “I’m back.” He grabbed his brother’s hand, and he hoped against hope that for once he’d feel something twitch. As always, nothing happened. Tadashi sighed. “Today we had a pretty cool assignment in class, you know? You would’ve liked it,” he continued, looking at the tiny hand nestled in between both of his, “It was all about magnetic suspension. You remember Megabot, right? Well, we practically learned how to double his size and make him twice as fast.” He smiled slightly, fondly, as he remembered the effort it took his little brother to build that bot, how he’d tried to impress the one and only Robert Callaghan with his invention when he didn’t know the name of his old professor; he remembered with a fond smile how he used that very design to create the microbots that granted him the entrance to the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology… and then how he never got to be on his first class because of that dammed fire. How instead he was here, sleeping, unaware of his surroundings and completely oblivious to the world. It was painful. 

It was so painful for Tadashi to see his little brother stuck in that state. It was so painful for him to see the world moving on without Hiro’s curiosity and innovation. It was painful to go to sleep in the room he no longer used, to see the clothes he no longer wore, to eat where he hadn’t eaten in two years, to feel the constant presence of his brother’s absence… and also to think that the kid on the bed might not ever wake up again, that he’d missed out on his own life and that Tadashi would have to live without the knucklehead giving him headaches. He didn’t want to think about that… but the doctors weren’t hopeful, and they had started to prod him about unplugging Hiro for a few months already. He refused, and he always would. He would not be the one to kill Hiro. He would not be planning a funeral, and he would not be letting go of the hope that he might wake up tomorrow. He just couldn’t do it. Besides, he’d made his research… there were cases of people who were in a coma for nineteen years before waking up. Though Tadashi sure hoped it wouldn’t take his brother that long to come back to him. 

“Don’t forget to come back Hiro,” he said, raising his eyes to look at the seemingly peaceful sleeping face, and reaching out with his hand to pat the soft black locks of disheveled hair that, as always, were untamable. “Please, just come back.”  

* * *

 Hiro stood in front of the grave that bore his brother’s name. He was standing solemnly, not saying anything, just staring at it and wishing that his brother were still with him, and somehow cursing that the day was so bright when he was commemorating the death of his big brother. It had already been two years, and still, it didn’t get any easier. He still woke up to the other half of his room empty, and he still went to SFIT with the cold reminder that his brother never got the chance to see him. His friends were as supportive as always, and even at that moment they were waiting at Aunt Cass’s café to just remember the good man Tadashi used to be. They knew that Hiro wanted to visit the graveyard alone. 

“Hello again,” he said, somewhat shy, always getting this awkward feeling of a one sided conversation, but feeling he had to say something, “I don’t know if you can hear me… probably not…” now he was starting to feel stupid, “But it just doesn’t feel right to be here in silence.” 

He stopped and contemplated his next words for a few minutes. “Actually, it doesn’t feel right that you’re gone,” he continued, “I’m trying, really hard, and I’m much better than before… but still, I miss you. It still hurts.” He bit his lower lip, willing himself not to shed any tears that day. He shouldn’t cry, because Tadashi wouldn’t want to see him cry. “Callaghan is still in prison, and I wonder if he really knows what he is guilty for,” since that fateful day in the city, when they uncovered Callaghan’s plans, stopped him and saved his daughter, the sixteen year old teen had had a lot of time to think about it. “I remember when we first discovered it was him… the disbelief, the hurt, the betrayal. And then when he just brushed it off like you were nothing,” Hiro gritted his teeth, his face scrunching up in disgust and anger for an instant before resuming the sad expression of before, “It doesn’t seem fair that he got his daughter back and yet I lost you.” 

Hiro took a deep breath; his heart ache. The ache had dulled considerably over the years, especially with all their adventures along Baymax and everything, but he still felt like some part of him would never fully recover. How could he? 

 _‘Hey there.’_ Hiro was suddenly startled by the ghost of a voice that whispered in his ear. He practically jumped out of his skin as an eerie feeling suddenly settled upon his bones. He wasn’t one to believe in ghosts, but he was in a graveyard and suddenly he’d heard something. Although it was probably nothing, nothing but the wind and his own vivid imagination, that must have been it. He shook his head and decided to ignore it; a shiver went down his spine and he hugged himself inside his loose, SFIT hoodie that was still too big for his lanky frame. It was time to head back to the café. 

As he turned to leave, however, he almost screamed when he felt someone… something, grab his hand. He didn’t know what it was, and the sensation only lasted for a few seconds, but he could swear that someone grabbed his hand. Thinking of little children playing pranks, he looked around himself only to realize that he was completely alone. Positively spooked, he quickly turned and started to make his way out of the graveyard at a fast pace. 

He froze solid, however, after having walked only a few feet away from the grave of his brother. _‘Please, come back.’_ He heard it again, the voice, but this time he clearly recognized it. But it wasn’t possible, and he wouldn’t believe it. Slightly, he turned his head towards the still stone with his brother’s name engraved, knowing that he wasn’t really buried there because there had been no rests to bury. They had all been burned. Tadashi Hamada was dead. And yet, Hiro was not crazy, and he had heard something or someone that sounded like his dead brother. 

He decided he didn’t want to spend another minute in that place and quickly resumed his way at a faster pace than before. 

* * *

Aunt Cass entered the room not long after Tadashi did. Ever since the incident, and because they really couldn’t afford having too many employees now that the hospital fees were too expensive, even with the insurance, the Café was open all morning and half the afternoon, sometimes even on weekends, until five o’clock when Cass closed the doors for customers and went to the hospital to spend the rest of the day near his comatose nephew and his brother. It was hard to see the once lively kid, one who had trouble staying still, lying in a bed without giving any signals of life. He breathed mainly because of the respirator he was connected too, and his chest rose and fell too artificially, too periodically, too perfectly and too synchronized to be normal. His eyes didn’t flutter as they did when he slept. He didn’t snore anymore as he did before. He didn’t even twitch, not a finger, not a muscle, nothing. And most especially, he gave no signs of waking up. 

Cass didn’t know how long her heart could last in that situation. One of his nephews slowly dying, completely unaware of that, and the other so absorbed by his little brother that he had trouble taking care of himself. Well, at least she was there to take care of that. She always made sure Tadashi ate, even if he didn’t want to of if he acted like he wasn’t hungry; she told him not to work too hard and not to stress himself so much, she always had him clean clothes and warm food and a shoulder ready if he needed to lean on her. And he did… sometimes… rare times. In which Tadashi allowed himself to show his fear and to open up. And those moments that she shared with her nephew she cherished, and those moments they had together, had bonded them deeply, almost as if they were really mother and son. 

Because of this, she wasn’t surprised to see Tadashi working on his homework, next to Hiro’s bed, in the uncomfortable plastic chair, struggling to do everything with one hand because the other refused to let go of the limp hand on the mattress. “Hi,” she said softly, and Tadashi looked up from his book to give his aunt a small, yet warm smile. Ever since the accident, Tadashi had never smiled like he used to, and Cass was sure that he wouldn’t until Hiro woke up. 

“Hey, Aunt Cass,” he replied tiredly as he rubbed a hand over his eyes. It would be time to go to his part time job soon, so he was glad she arrived. “How was the café today?” 

“Busy,” she answered softly with a small smile, “As always.” She walked until she was behind Tadashi and gave him a big hug. She’d always been a hugger, but now she did it constantly and the oldest Hamada couldn’t help but wonder if she did it for him, or for herself. “How was your day?” 

Tadashi shrugged nonchalantly. “The usual,” he said, “The same classes, the same teachers, the same books; nothing out of the ordinary;” Tadashi had always been a science enthusiast, and because of this it sounded so wrong to hear speak about his beloved school that way. Cass missed the times when Tadashi would ramble on about a new project, or about Baymax, or about his classes. Now it seemed like the weight he carried was weighing him down. 

Cass placed a soft hand on his nephew’s cheek, staring at him with all the love and care of a mother. “I’m glad,” she replied, wanting to be supportive of him even if inside she was hurting.  But Tadashi knew that stare, and he could practically read her thoughts, so after a moment in which he returned the hug he sighed deeply. They broke apart and he ran a hand through his hair. 

“I just can’t…” he hid his face in her aunt’s shoulder, just like he did when he was little, feeling his eyes filling with tears and trying to swallow the lump in his throat, “It’s just not the same, he should be there with me. Not here.” 

His aunt’s eyes too grew misty with tears and she moved forward to hug him tightly again, her attempt to reduce the sorrow that she knew lied deeply in Tadashi’s heart. “He wouldn’t want to see you like this,” she told him, letting all her worry seep into her voice. 

Tadashi let go softly, his arms trembling slightly. “I should go,” purposely avoiding his aunt, “My shift will start soon.” Ever since Hiro’s coma started, the eldest brother took it upon himself to help his aunt with the hospital bills in any way he could, while still trying to juggle collage because if he stopped studying then Hiro would throw a fit when he woke up. 

“Alright,” Cass conceded, understanding all too well the way Tadashi felt, “Be careful dear.” She added the last part in a small voice, her eyes wide and almost pleading. Tadashi’s heart constricted tightly every time he saw that expression on his face, because she was just so scared of losing both her nephews in such a short period of time. 

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, “I will.” 

Aunt Cass smiled slightly, small but full of warm and a little relieved, “I’ll be waiting for you at home with a warm cup of tea and dinner.” Tadashi only nodded before putting his school stuff in the bag and leaving the room with his head hanging low. 

When she was alone, Cass sat down on the chair Tadashi vacated. Gingerly, as if she was afraid it would break, she grabbed Hiro’s limp hand in hers, and she couldn’t help but wonder if her youngest nephew was just fading further away from them. 

“Hello, honey,” she called to his unresponsive nephew, trying as she always did to draw some sort of response from his sleeping little boy, “I’m sorry I took so long. You know how it is with the rush hour at the café and everything.” She waited with batted breath for a sign, any small twitch of the eyelids, a small movement from a finger, but as always nothing occurred. She sighed deeply. “I miss you Hiro,” she said softly, her voice no louder than a whisper, “Tadashi is… well, coping, I guess. But he’s not the same, you know? And if you don’t come back to us soon, I fear that he will break beyond repair.” She chuckled dryly, bitterly. 

She moved her hand upwards, towards the mop of black hair that kept growing despite the unconsciousness of the now sixteen year old teen, and she softly started stroking it in a comforting fashion. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t burden you with these kinds of things. Just know that we are waiting for you, okay honey? We need you; Tadashi needs you… more than anyone.” 

She didn’t know if she was comforting the sleeping boy or herself. 

* * *

Tadashi arrived at the closed Lucky Cat Café after some minutes of walking in silence. The hospital wasn’t so far away from the house, and because the gas was expensive, he used the mop exclusively to go to school and back. His job was also nearby, so he could grab something small to eat before his shift started. 

He entered with his key and went straight upstairs to the house. He dropped his things off on the entrance, where he wouldn’t forget to pick them up for school the following morning, and went to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and started looking for bread and cheese to make him a quick sandwich, but when he saw the leftover hot wings of his aunt, he suddenly lost his appetite. Hiro loved those things. 

Tadashi closed the fridge defeated and rested his head against the cool, smooth surface. He didn’t know how much longer he could go on like this. He knew his aunt was right and that Hiro wouldn’t like to see him like this. He’d probably be disappointed on his older brother for being so weak. But he couldn’t help it, it was just too much. 

His thoughts went back to the night of the showcase, the night everything got ruined. They were happy for a moment, excited, because Hiro got accepted into SFIT with him. But he had to make sure everything was in order before they left to celebrate to the café, telling them that he would catch up in a couple of minutes. Tadashi would never know what really happened that night. Some officers said that one of the inventions went haywire; others said that it was the wrong mix of chemicals or even a shortcut of the electric systems in the building. However, the only thing Tadashi was sure of was that one minute he left Hiro alone in the hall, the next he’s trapped inside that inferno of a building. He should’ve stayed with him, make sure that everything was in order with the microbots, help him get them ready for pick up the next morning and then they would’ve probably taken less time and be out of there before the fire even started. 

But he didn’t. 

And he almost lost his brother for it. 

By the time Tadashi and his friends ran from Cass’s truck to the exhibition hall, everything was engulfed in flames. They say people running around, screaming names, and soon enough their own screams joined those of everyone around him as they searched for Hiro. They hoped he made it out; they wanted to believe they made it out, but the fourteen year old genius wasn’t there. The only other option was that he was inside… and probably dead. 

But Tadashi refused to leave. “There’s someone inside!” he vaguely heard somebody yell, “Professor Callaghan is still in there!” 

After that his memories are blurry. He kind of remembered a primal desperation for getting them, the professor and his brother, back to safety. And so he rushed towards the burning building without a second thought, only to be quickly suppressed by some people around him, his friends amongst them. 

“Let me go!” he had yelled, “My baby brother’s in there!” 

He managed to break free of their grasp after a few seconds of struggle that surely kept him alive, for the minute he stepped forward towards the raging inferno, the whole structure exploded, sending debris, and smoke and heat all around them. Tadashi collapsed on the ground, big eyes staring at the place where his brother certainly was and where he couldn’t have possibly survived. 

After a few minutes, the firefighter’s team went inside hoping to find survivors even when the chances were slim. They came out running and panting not five minutes after they went in, carrying a limp body. Tadashi didn’t have the strength to hope it might be his brother, but when he saw that they took the body to the paramedics instead of a body bag, he couldn’t help but approach them. 

“It this the Professor?” a young, female paramedic asked the firefighter who deposited the body of someone who seemed far too small to be Robert Callaghan. 

“No,” the firefighter answered, “He’s a John Doe, young, probably around thirteen years old. Barely breathing, we found him under a pile of rubble that protected him from the fire. Still, we don’t know how much of the smoke he inhaled.” 

“That’s my brother,” Tadashi rasped, tears leaking from his eyes, as he shakily approached the stretcher. Sure enough, there was the lanky frame of his brother, his chest raising and falling erratically as he tried to get oxygen into his lungs which didn’t seem to be working. He missed the glance of pity the paramedic directed briefly at him as she secured him on the stretcher and put on Hiro an oxygen mask and tons of needles. 

“Sir, we need to go,” she called out to Tadashi, who seemed to be too shocked to do something more than stare, “Are you riding in the ambulance?” 

That got the eldest Hamada out of his trance and moving, albeit somewhat mechanically as his mind struggled to keep up with reality. He didn’t even notice when his aunt and friends came after him, standing behind him as the paramedic briefly explained the situation to them. But Tadashi didn’t hear a word she said, and he didn’t respond when Cass called out to him, didn’t wave back or said goodbye. He was too focused on his brother unconscious form to pay attention to much else. 

They arrived at the General Hospital of San Fransokyo after ten excruciating minutes in which Hiro’s heart stopped twice in a cardio-pulmonary arrest that was direct consequence of the fumes he inhaled. Tadashi forced himself to enter his crisis mode, listening intently to what the paramedic was explaining, and he tried not to cry when she said that there might be brain damage as the result of lack of oxygen. That is, if he survived the first seventy two hours in the ICU. 

After that his life spiraled out of his control and became centralized around room four hundred and twenty where Hiro laid since he was released from the ICU under the diagnosis of profound coma induced by head injury. Tadashi wasn’t dumb; he’d made enough research for Baymax to know that the prognosis wasn’t good. His brother should’ve woken up in the first few weeks after the incident but he didn’t, which highly suggested some sort of brain damage. He’d seen neurologists all over the city, professors and doctors alike, and everyone gave him the same answer: Hiro was not going to wake up. But Tadashi couldn’t accept it just like that, because his brother was still breathing and there still was brain activity. 

Tadashi snapped out of his memories, feeling that painful pang inside his chest whenever he thought about the choice he had to make, reminding himself that he needed to get moving else he’d be late for work. He exited the house with his uneaten sandwich tucked in the bag and started jogging towards the small department store he worked at if only to stop thinking. He didn’t want to think about it anymore, for the mere thought had his chest constricting painfully and he felt that he couldn’t breathe, because how on earth could he choose if his brother lived or died? 

* * *

After a good hour of aimlessly walking around the city, Hiro finally arrived at the Lucky Cat Café, which had closed early for the occasion of commemorating his brother’s tragic passing. The first floor was dark and empty, considering that there were no clients to keep the place lively, and he tried to ignore the eeriness of the place as he made his way upstairs. 

There, sitting in the small dining room on many different chairs they brought from all around the house, sat his friends, his aunt Cass and Baymax. All of them turned to look at him somewhat expectantly, and Hiro smiled softly, remembering that even though Tadashi was gone, that he was not alone. 

That seemed to break the tense atmosphere that had formed, and soon enough they all broke into friendly chatter. Aunt Cass stood up and brought some leftover cakes from that day at the café, with cups of tea, and sugar and even milk for the once who felt fancy enough. Hiro’s eyes swept through the people around him; Wasabi and Fred were arguing about the possibilities of creating real life mutant super heroes as in Marvel, Fred obviously supporting the thesis that it was possible while Wasabi firmly seated in his scientific base. Honey Lemon and GoGo were talking about their latest assignment, sometimes interjecting something about their coming up graduation, which sent a painful pang through Hiro knowing that Tadashi would never graduate. Aunt Cass sometimes gave her input in their conversation and Baymax was comfortably sitting beside him, stroking Mochi’s fur as he said ‘hairy baby’ over and over again. 

Hiro felt strangely moved. “Thank you guys,” he blurted out before he could think it through. Suddenly, conversation stilled as they turned with wide eyes to stare at Hiro. The sixteen year old teen looked away, self-conscious about the heat in his cheeks that meant a blush was creeping up, refusing to meet his gaze. Cass’s small hand on his shoulder prompted him to continue. “For being here,” Hiro did continue, even if he also refused to meet their gaze yet, “For… everything, really. Tadashi-” his voice broke slightly but he ignored it, “-he may be gone, but by doing this we are making sure that we’ll never forget him. And that means a lot to me, personally, so thank you.” 

The silence that followed made him feel uneasy, so he raised his eyes to meet a very teary eyed Aunt Cass, as well as Honey Lemon, and the soft understanding faces of their friends. His aunt hugged him, practically crushed him, and soon enough everyone else followed. 

“Tadashi will always be with us,” surprisingly GoGo was the one to say something after the hug broke and everyone returned to their places, “Even if not physically.” 

Fred immediately added his own comment, and Hiro just knew it was going to be something ridiculous. “Oh, but he could always return in one of those strange physical phenomenon that-” 

“This is not a Marvel comic Fred,” Wasabi said with a much exaggerated eye roll before turning to Hiro, “But GoGo is right. Tadashi was a good friend to us, and he helped us through different hardships. What kind of friends would we be if we weren’t here?” 

Honey Lemon nodded excitedly. “Besides, we love hanging out with you,” she added, and Hiro couldn’t help the soft chuckle that escaped his mouth. 

After that and way long into the night, they softly exchanged stories on Tadashi when he was still alive. Some of them were funny, some of them were moving, but all of them by the end of the night had shed their good share of tears. Even the forever stoic GoGo Tomago couldn’t help but being moved by the memory of her best friend. 

When his friends left, he stayed with Aunt Cass to clean the kitchen with her. “Hiro,” she started with a soft voice, making the sixteen year old teen to look up from where he was drying the dishes, “I know how hard these past years have been for you.” Hiro was quick to think of something to retort, but his aunt didn’t let him finish, “Don’t you dare tell me it’s not true. I notice things, you know, and I know you still miss him.” She smiled softly. “It’s completely normal. Every day I miss my sister, your mother, and your father as well. Is a kind of pain that never fully goes away… but when you find something else to care for and to treasure, the pain becomes more bearable.” She dried her hands in a towel and brought her nephew in for a tight hug. Hiro was left speechless, so he did the only thing he could at the moment, which was return the hug. He didn’t notice when he started shaking, or when tears started to roll down his cheeks, or when he started to sob. He didn’t notice but when he did, he didn’t care, with his head buried in Aunt Cass’s shoulder and her arms around him, he let himself be vulnerable again. 

They slowly moved to the couch in front of the TV, where Hiro curled up next to her and let all the hurt and sorrow that was still inside his heart to come forth in bitter tears. They didn’t talk, they just held each other and shared their sadness, Aunt Cass crying just as much as Hiro. 

They stayed in that position for a few hours. When Hiro finally calmed down, he turned to look at his exhausted aunt. He saw the tearstains on her cheeks, but what made him smile, was that she’d fallen asleep at some point through the moving ordeal. He softly stood up as not to wake her up, intending to bring her a blanket. 

But a few seconds later Hiro stood dead on his tracks when he heard Aunt Cass’s voice. 

 _‘I miss you Hiro,’_ she told him, a snarky retort on his lips, only to find her the same way he’d left her. Fast asleep, her head lolled to the side, lost very deep in dream land. He barely had time to question his sanity before he heard it again, this time looking at his sleeping aunt and knowing for sure that she had not spoken at all, discarding the possibility of a prank. _‘Tadashi is… well, coping, I guess. But he’s not the same, you know?’_  

“What the…” he murmured, looking around the room for hidden cameras and/or a very potent sound system, then back to his aunt. She should’ve woken up by now, because the voice wasn’t exactly low. However, the words the voice was saying was the thing keeping him more on edge, for it was speaking of Tadashi as if he were… well… alive. 

 _‘And if you don’t come back to us soon, I fear that he will break beyond repair.’_  

Hiro sprinted towards his room, positively spooked, but also kind of freaked out by the words themselves. Break beyond repair? That didn’t sound like his brother at all, and the thought alone worried him even when he knew his brother was dead. He activated Baymax quick and stopped him before he could start with his series of introductions. 

 _‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t burden you with these kinds of things,’_ the voice said again, and Hiro pointed at Baymax. 

“Can you hear that?” he demanded of the robotic nurse, but Baymax only tilted it’s head sideways. 

“Hear what, Hiro?” the robot asked in return, almost managing to make Hiro grab pull at his hair. 

 _‘Just know what we are waiting for you, okay honey? We need you…’_  

“That!” Hiro pointed to… wherever, for he could not point the exact source of the voice. 

 _‘Tadashi needs you… more than anyone.’_  

“You appear to be suffering from: Auditory hallucinations. I can see increased activity in your temporal lobe. I suggest you sit down, as you might experience dizziness as well,” Baymax spoke, startling Hiro out of the reverie caused by what the voice told him last. 

“Hallucinations?” he asked, breathlessly, “That would make sense. I also heard something today in the graveyard.” 

Baymax continued as if Hiro hadn’t spoken at all. “Diagnosis: The hallucinations could have been caused by personal trauma or the loss of a loved one. Considering today’s date, I don’t consider this to be too abnormal. If the symptoms persist, we will evaluate you further.” 

“Thank you buddy,” the teen said, suddenly feeling very… tired. 

“Are you satisfied with your care, Hiro?” Baymax asked politely, the way he’d been programmed to do, and for a moment the teen just wished that he wasn’t just a machine. 

“I am satisfied with my care.” 

The robot shuffled slowly towards his charging station, where he deflated and shrank with a small beep. Hiro lied down on his bed, thinking through everything that had happened that day. First, the voice of his dead brother next to his grave, then the ghost feeling in his hand; later the voice of Aunt Cass’s despite her being sound asleep, and it all summed up pretty neatly in the single diagnosis that Baymax gave. 

As he fell gradually asleep, he couldn’t help but feel a nice sensation in his head, as if someone was playing with his hair the way his aunt did when he was sick. With a content sigh, he snuggled in the blankets, deciding that tomorrow would be a new, normal day without hallucinations. 

* * *

Back in the hospital, inside room four hundred and twenty, Cass sat reading a book by the bedside of her slumbering nephew. All around her was silent, except for the constant sounds of the different machines connected to the frail, small body of Hiro Hamada, which were soon enough lost as background noise. But the people were leaving gradually, resulting in the kind of quiet that spoke of resting people after a very long day. 

Soon enough she would have to leave too. It was almost dark outside, which meant that visiting hours were coming to their end. In the time she was there, the nurse in turn had come twice to check on Hiro’s graph, and she always left with a soft sigh of disappointed. Cass hoped that it meant Hiro wasn’t improving, and not that he was getting worse. 

She closed her novel softly, putting it on the bedside table which held naught but a single lamp. She observed her nephew, her hand moving to grip his hand in hers tightly. He still hadn’t changed; there was no movement of his eyelids, no twitching muscles, no sounds coming from the boy. And her heart clenched in an anguish that never truly left. She kissed Hiro on the forehead. “Goodnight sweetie,” she told him, knowing she wouldn’t get a reply, “I’ll come back tomorrow, okay? You better be here when I come.” 

She attempted a chuckle that sounded false even to her own ears. Each day she left the hospital with Hiro’s condition not improving, she had the awful, dreadful feeling in her stomach that one day she might return and not finding him there. That one day the doctors would tell them that Hiro Hamada died overnight and that there was nothing they could do about it. But she always interrupted the thought, not daring to even consider the possibility that it might happen else she stayed to sleep forever at the hospital. 

Cass sighed softly, picked her purse, and after another kiss to Hiro’s forehead, she left the hospital. She, as always, went to the front desk to ask them that if anything changed with Hiro they should call her immediately. The very first times she did it, the staff had been slightly annoyed. Overtime and because she always did it, and as they learned the case of the room four hundred and twenty’s patient, their gazes shifted from annoyed, to pissed, to angered, until they reached the current state of pity and sympathy. Cass would’ve minded more if her nephew did not depend so much on these people at the moment, for she was a very prideful person who didn’t like to be on the receiving end of those gazes, but after so many times with this routine she grew accustomed to it. What else could she do? 

Getting on her truck, she arrived at the café when the sun had already set. The house looked eerie and scary with all the lights turned off. Before Hiro’s accident at the showcase, there was always at least someone in the house, and the lights were mostly on. Be it Tadashi working on something in the garage or lounging in the room, be it Hiro playing video games or tinkering with his many tools, or herself as she made the food she’d sell the next day, there was always someone doing something, bringing life into the house. 

Now that Tadashi was mostly gone, spending his time in the hospital or working or in SFIT, and that Hiro was in the hospital, she arrived every night to an empty house that reeked of abandonment in the slightest ways. It depressed her, on top of everything that was going on, because it reminded her that they only had themselves. Her parents had died a long time ago, and then her only sister too left this world. Her brother-in-law had been an only son whose parents died young as well. So the only family she had left was Tadashi and Hiro, and with Hiro like that… 

Cass shook her head to get rid of the gloomy thoughts as she entered the house. Immediately, Mochi was by her side, rubbing himself against her leg. “Hello Mochi,” she called him softly, “Did you miss me?” Of course he did. The male Calico cat was used to having people around him ever since Tadashi brought him home, but now that things were so dire and the house so lonely, she noticed how clingy he became when they were actually in the house. Almost as if Mochi had understood, he gave a soft ‘mew’ in response. “Come, let’s get you something to eat.” 

The cat followed Cass upstairs, where she placed his food in a bowl and watched as the cat happily ate as he moved his tail. She wished sometimes she could be as ignorant as that cat, seeing that it could take away all the pain she felt, her doubts and uncertainty. Sighing she moved to the fridge to explore what she’d prepare for Tadashi for when he’d return from his job. Her eyes fell on the hot wings she made the night before, hoping against hope that soon there would be another person with them to eat them; she took them and thought about reheating them, and because there weren’t many left, she’d made some salad to go with them. Yeah, that seemed good. She grabbed the vegetables and starting cutting them, if only to have something to do. 

When she finished, she moved to the sofa in the living room, and Mochi was quick to jump on her lap. She turned on the TV and played the video she hadn’t finished the day before. It was one of those homemade films she’d recorded of Hiro and Tadashi, and while most of them featured both of her nephews, this was solely of Hiro. And as she watched it, she cried and she laughed at his antics. Some part of her kept reminded her that this was the only way in which she could see that tooth-gaped grin anymore, and that hurt. It hurt so much that it made it hard to breathe; it hurt so much that halfway through the video she had to pause because she was sobbing so hard. She didn’t know how long she could go on like this. 

The phone startled her with its demanding ring, wondering who could be calling her that late, and she cleaned her nose before answering with the voice as steady as she could manage. When she heard what the caller said on the other side of the line, the phone fell of her trembling hands. 

* * *

Hiro was having a nightmare. 

In his nightmare, he was inside the burning hall. 

He saw the flames licking at him from everywhere, he felt the suffocating heat and the pain of his lungs as he inhaled everything but oxygen. 

He saw debris falling from the ceiling around him, everywhere, and at the end of a very far wall, he saw closed door with green glaring lights that read: EXIT. 

He had to get there; and so slowly but surely he started to crawl his way over there. At some point he had twisted his ankle and now it hurt too much to walk. 

He saw Professor Robert Callaghan screaming as a pile of burning debris fell right on top of him, and he yelled. But that only allowed him to swallow more smoke and to choke on it. He vaguely thought that he would never ever smoke in his entire life if that’s what it felt like. 

But Hiro knew he had to move on. Because Tadashi was outside, and Aunt Cass, and the gang, so he kept on crawling. The effort was inhuman, and was barely able to advance a meter or so when something blew up. The explosion sent him flying sideways, and away, very far away from the exit. 

He tried to get up, only to fall flat on his face. He coughed, noticing how his saliva was coming out black and how his mouth tasted foul. He couldn’t get up, he couldn’t breathe, he felt himself slipping from consciousness as his vision grew dark around the edges. 

The last thing he saw was something falling on top of him before he finally blacked out. 

Hiro woke up panting in cold sweat, feeling an uncomfortable pressure on his chest. He thought it was some sort of after effect of the dream, but the pressure persisted. And soon enough, it turned into pain. He tried to stand up only to collapse on the floor with a groan, alerting a certain nurse bot of his distress. 

Baymax didn’t ask what he usually did, instead going into his emergency mode, scanning the patient and running quick tests to make sure that they made it through. The robot tilted its head to the side, as if confused. “My scanners detect increased brain activity in the pain receptors of your chest, but I don’t see evidence of any physical distress.” 

Hiro would have said something if the pain hadn’t suddenly increased tenfold. 

Baymax approached in urgency, and Hiro grasped tight at the vinyl hand in a futile attempt of getting some sort of comfort in his situation. He wasn’t sure how long it lasted, but it took its sweet good time of excruciating pain in which Hiro tried to discern up form down. 

His vision started to grow dark, but suddenly after another wave of increased pain, it cleared and the pain receded, leaving him a panting mess in the floor. His whole body was shaking and covered in sweat, and he very weakly tried to stand up. Baymax helped him so that soon he was sitting up on the floor, leaning against his bed. 

“How are you feeling?” the robot asked a still panting Hiro. 

The teen was about to answer in between pants, but all of the sudden in his brain exploded a million voices, male and female alike, speaking in terms he couldn’t recognize and too fast to make any sense of it. He looked up to the robot in mild fear. “What’s happening to me?” 

* * *

Tadashi had never run this fast in his entire life. Not even when Hiro made a stupid invention that got him in the hospital, not even when he had to rescue Hiro from a bot fight, not ever. Now, however, he was running as if the devil himself was after him. He ran all the five blocks from his workplace in the dead of the night, and then he ran the other three towards the hospital. He couldn’t feel his legs, and his lungs were complaining from the unexpected sprint, but he could only hear his erratic heart beating in his chest against his ribcage. “Not yet, not yet, not yet,” he murmured constantly, as a way to keep up the pace and not slow down. 

Finally, he made it to the hospital. There he barely took a glance at the nurses or the people around as his vision tunneled towards the stairs, but more importantly, towards room four hundred and twenty. He got there and almost wished he didn’t. Not even in the waiting room, instead he found Aunt Cass sitting in the hall next to the door, curled up on herself, and her face hidden. His stomach dropped to the ground, this was not good. 

“Aunt Cass,” he called and she snapped her head in his direction. She looked bad, really bad, and that was an understatement. Her eyes were red rimmed, puffy and there were obvious tear tracks on her face where they had overlapped for probably a good hour. She hastily stood up and ran to him and crushed him in a hug. “Aunt Cass, what happened to Hiro? Will he be okay?” 

His urgent tone did the job of bringing her back to the situation at hand. She sobbed loudly as she brought her hands to her mouth in a clear desperate gesture. “I don’t know,” she confessed, not managing to make Tadashi feel better, “I got a call from the hospital telling me that Hiro had taken a turn for the worse. I came here as fast as I could, but when I arrived the doctors were still in the room and they haven’t come out.” 

Just as if she’d called out to them, a large group of nurses exited the room, followed by the doctor in charge of the case. They didn’t need to ask him anything, for he went straight to the point. “Hiro’s heart stopped,” he said in his professional voice that didn’t allow interruptions. Tadashi’s fists tightened in anxiety, because the next words could either save him or shatter him permanently, “We managed to stabilize him for now, but his condition is worsening.” 

Tadashi didn’t know if he wanted to be relieved or to burst into tears. “How…? What happened?” 

“We’re not sure what set it off, it might be a due to some part of the heart that was damaged… or it might indicate a decrease in brain activity,” the doctor explained as best as he could, before trying to breach a more sensitive subject. “Either way, it shows a decrease in the physiological functions of your brother.” 

“What does this mean?” Aunt Cass asked this time, and he bit his lip because he had an idea as to where the conversation was heading. 

The doctor continued, “Hiro has always been a small boy. Smaller than the rest in size, lighter than the rest in weight. When he arrived, the extent of his injuries was so great that we didn’t think he’d survive the night, let alone the past two years, because his size also makes him frailer. And now… his body has started to collapse.” Tadashi’s blood turned to ice, as dread settled deep within his stomach. “It isn’t abnormal for patients in a profound coma to experience deterioration in their bodies as time goes on because of their lack of movement, and usually I would have estimated that in such a young man as your brother, he still had a couple of years before it became obvious. However, because of his injuries coupled up with his physical characteristics, his body has started the deterioration process much faster than anticipated. Hiro is dying, prolonging his dead will only be more painful for you and the strain his body will be put under much greater. I strongly suggest you consider taking him off life support, so that all of you can finally get some rest.” 

Afterwards he gave a polite nod, a good night, and left them standing in the hallway with equally shocked expressions on their faces; expressions that gradually started to morph into those of deep grief and sorrow. Aunt Cass started to openly sob, but Tadashi just stared at the door leading to his baby brother with a heartbroken look, letting the void clawing at him fester and fester until it became physically painful for him. 

He gripped at his shirt, that place above his heart where it was hurting the most, as he closed his eyes tightly and tears poured down his face. 

The trembling voice of his aunt startled him. “I’m so sorry Tadashi,” she said through her tears, making him frown a little in confusion, “When I agreed to give you the guardianship over Hiro, I never thought you would have to make this choice,” she hiccupped, trying futilely to stop her tears, “I’m sorry.” 

Tadashi walked slowly towards her and gave her a hug, letting her bury her head in his chest, hoping to try and transmit the reassurance he didn’t really feel. “We didn’t know, Aunt Cass,” he said attempting to comfort her, “We couldn’t have known.” That only made her sobs increase in volume as well as her despair, and he tightened his hug when he felt the tremors of her body increase. This was taking a heavy toll on everybody, but most of all, on them. 

* * *

As the sky cleared, Tadashi looked up from his hands where they were resting against his knees. Next to him, Aunt Cass was fast asleep, with his cardigan draped over her in an attempt to keep her warm, because the nights were still a little chilly. He somehow envied the relaxed expression of his aunt in her sleep, because he knew that even if he managed to crash for a couple of hours, he would only dream nightmares that would wind up waking him up. He heaved a sigh and brushed his hands over his face, trying to dissipate the exhaustion that seemed permanently fixed into his bones. 

Tadashi went to the bathroom, washed his face, and then he went out to a small terrace to make a call. 

“Hello?” the questioning voice of Wasabi answered the phone after two rings. The eldest Hamada decided that it was probably too early for Wasabi to be awake, but as he thought again, he brushed away the thought. Wasabi was too perfectionist to sleep in, even if he had class in another three hours. 

“Hey,” Tadashi’s voice croaked and he hated the sound, knowing it would worry his friend, but he needed to ask him to take notes for him as he wouldn’t go to SFIT today. He couldn’t. “Could you do me a favor?” 

Tadashi felt and heard through the phone how Wasabi shifted position and changed to his fully alert more, the one he reserved for occasions such as this. “What is it?” he asked urgently, “Are you okay? Is Hiro?” 

Tadashi couldn’t really help the bitter laugh that escaped his lips, but hey, he needed a way to relieve the pent up stress. “Not really, man,” he confessed, “I won’t be going to class today, could you take some notes for me, please?” 

“Yeah, sure,” the sobered voice of Wasabi answered from the other end of the line, “I’ll ask around some of your other classmates as well.” Truth was that even if Wasabi was one of his best friends, he didn’t share that many classes with him, but he did trust him to take good notes for him to study for the classes they did share. 

Tadashi answered honestly, “Thank you. Could you please… not tell them why?” 

“Why what…? Oh, I get it. Don’t worry, I won’t tell,” Wasabi promised, and a promised from him meant for life. 

“The girls are allowed, and Fred, in case they ask. But only them, please,” the eldest Hamada asked lastly from him. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Wasabi replied, and after a curt nod that the big man wasn’t able to see and a soft ‘ok’, he cut the call. Then he walked to the wooden rail around the terrace and allowed the wind to take his mind off of things a little. He relished in the feeling of the wind against his hair, and the smell of the city waking up, even if that meant smog from the different factories and vehicles, but everything was better than being him right now. 

He thought over the doctor’s words carefully, feeling the cold grip of fear around his heart. Hiro was dying; he was dying, and Tadashi could do nothing about it. He groaned and pulled at his hair, hating how utterly useless he felt. He was scared, oh gosh, he was so scared. If he’d only stayed with Hiro that night, if only he’d never introduced Hiro to SFIT at all, if only they’d stayed at home, if only, if only, if only. There were so many ‘if only’s that tortured him constantly, but right at this moment they came with a vengeance. What he wouldn’t give to be in Hiro’s place if that meant getting his brother back. What he wouldn’t give to see that tooth gaped smile of his, or hear his cocky remarks, or that frown he got when he concentrated on something for too long. 

What he wouldn’t give to keep his brother alive, to bring him back. 

* * *

It took a while before Hiro was calm enough to assess the situation. After the pain, and the voices, subsided, the sixteen year old teen couldn’t help but keep feeling ghost touches all around his body, making feel strangely violated. Baymax could not explain with his scans the symptoms. The auditory hallucinations dealing with the loss of a loved one made sense, but that did not explain the chest pains or the ghost touches; much less the nightmare that had woken him up in the first place. 

Hiro managed to extract from Baymax the confidentiality agreement in which it couldn’t disclose anything to Aunt Cass or his friends, and in part it was because Hiro didn’t want them to worry. On another part, he wanted to understand what was wrong with him in the first place. 

It was as if his mind was telling him something, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what it was. 

He had tried going back to sleep, seeing as he woke up in the middle of the night, but it proved to be fruitless. The teen knew that he would be wasting his precious time if he stayed turning around on his bed, letting his thoughts haunt him, so he made his way silently to the garage. Down there, he opened the computer and opted to focus on updates on his and his friend’s armors. Then he would continue with upgrades for Baymax. 

He stayed a good couple of hours working there before his clock told him that it was time to get ready to go. So he made his way upstairs again, careful not to wake his aunt, and locked himself in the bathroom. Hiro looked at his reflection intently, noticing in his face his lack of sleep in the bags under his eyes, his paler than normal skin. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, though. He felt that if he stared hard enough, he would find what was bothering him, like a glitch in a computer program that popped up if you payed enough attention. But no such thing happened. 

He reached out to touch his reflection in the mirror, expecting something. He didn’t know what exactly that was, but it certainly was not to bump his hand to the crystal. Hiro shook his head, his hand still in the mirror, and let out a small chuckle. “I must be losing my mind,” he muttered to himself, before proceeding to the shower. 

What he didn’t notice, though, was the small crack on the mirror where his hand had been. 

* * *

 

Visiting hours started early in the morning, and the minute he was allowed in, Tadashi had sat himself next to Hiro’s bed and there was nothing important enough to make him move. Third world war could’ve started and he wouldn’t have left Hiro’s side; heck, he might have not even noticed. The twenty three year old young man only had eyes for his unresponsive baby brother, and Cass couldn’t help but watch in sadness from the sidelines. For today, the café would remain closed, in case anything happened. 

She couldn’t help the feeling that as one nephew faded from them; the other wouldn’t be too far away. And the thought made her heart constrict in anguish, because she knew what if felt like to lose a sibling, but one as young as Hiro when they’d always been together would shatter Tadashi. She didn’t think she could handle losing him too. Cass felt horrible watching Tadashi like that, and even worse there was nothing she could do to help him. 

“I’ll go bring us some coffee,” she told Tadashi, but he might as well be deaf to the world. He gave no acknowledgement of her and she sighed sadly before leaving the room. 

The coffee machine wasn’t too far away from the room, just at the end of the hallway, and that’s the place where the doctor found her. “Miss Hamada?” he asked, startling her slightly. She quickly recovered from the shock and turned to look at the doctor in mild confusion. 

“Is something wrong?” Cass asked, her stomach dropping in anticipation. 

“Not exactly,” the doctor answered somewhat hesitantly, “But I wanted to talk to you about something.” Cass nodded for him to proceed. “Have you noticed the state your nephew’s in?” 

Cass frowned, confused. “Shouldn’t you speak with Tadashi and me about this?” she asked cautiously, “He has the legal rights of Hiro at the moment.” 

“Miss, I wasn’t speaking about Hiro,” the doctor softly corrected her, and she paused as the gears in her head turned. Her eyes widened slightly when she caught up with the doctor. 

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cass said averting her eyes, not wanting to talk about this at the moment. 

The doctor sighed tiredly, but stared at her with most empathy. “I know you do,” he retorted, “I can see how this situation is affecting you. Personally, I have went through a similar experience, and I know how taxing it can be to have a closed loved one in this situation.” 

Cass was taken aback by the sudden familiarity and honesty of the doctor, “Why are you telling me this?” 

“I know that it is very hard for you, and I’m sure you’ve noticed how it’s taking its toll on Tadashi,” Cass only nodded, starting to realize where this is going, “Each day that passes the chances of Hiro waking up becomes slimmer, but if Tadashi refuses to see that, it might be detrimental for his health.” 

“We’ve already discussed this,” Cass cut him off, getting an edge on her voice that wasn’t there before, “As long as there is a small possibility of Hiro waking up, we aren’t taking him off life support.” 

The doctor sighed again, as if expecting her answer. “Believe me, I know this is a very tough decision-” 

“Tough doesn’t begin to cut it,” Cass cut off, and the doctor downright ignored her comment. 

“-But Hiro isn’t getting any better. He’s going to get worse.” The finality of the statement made a shiver run down her spine, “And I believe you should seriously consider taking Hiro off life support because if you don’t, you might end up losing your oldest nephew as well.” 

Cass blood ran cold and her stomach dropped. The doctor walked off after a polite nod, but to her it could’ve been a fly passing by. She stared in shock at the retreating back of the doctor without really seeing anything at all, her conflicting emotions clouding every ounce of judgement. She didn’t know if she wanted to yell and rage against the doctor, who had as much tact as a rock, or if she wanted to sob in a corner because deep down she knew that it was true. As Hiro’s condition worsened, Tadashi would waste away slowly, leaving at the end of everything a shell of his former self if anything at all was left. But if Hiro died, it might as well be the same. Tadashi would never recover his smile, and he natural optimism would be decimated; it would take a lot of time and effort and pain to move on if Hiro died… if he let Hiro die. They were honestly running out of options though. 

She grabbed the quickly cooling down coffee on shaking hands and numbly walked back to the room. The sight that greeted her was heartbreaking, not really different from before. The only visible difference was the clear tears running down Tadashi’s face and the tight grip which held Hiro’s left hand in both of his own. She softly set both coffees on the table next to the bed, away from the border, and raced to her nephew’s side, hugging him from behind. 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Tadashi,” she told him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Tadashi sobbed before hiding his face, for which Cass thought he didn’t really want to let it out. “Don’t hide it, sweetie, it’s okay to cry. You can cry all you want.” As if her permission was everything he needed, Tadashi broke down in horrible, heart wrenching sobs that raked his body while Cass hugged him to her chest tightly, shedding a few tears of her own. 

After a while, his sobs died down and his trembling stopped somewhat; the tears were still flowing freely, but there was little he could do to stop them. “I hate this, aunt Cass,” he told her, “We shouldn’t be here, Hiro shouldn’t be here. Why are _we_ here?” 

The question brought more tears to her eyes. “I don’t know, honey,” Cass answered, “But we must be strong for what’s happening and what’s to come.” 

“I’m just so scared,” Tadashi confessed his voice weak and trembling still, “I can’t lose him.” 

Cass thought that this was a good time as any to share her conversation with the doctor, knowing that if she waited longer, it would become harder. “Sweetie, there’s something we have to discuss,” she said, and Tadashi allowed himself to be oblivious and puzzled, “I ran into the doctor in the hallway, and he told me something.” 

Tadashi’s eyes hardened and she knew she’d made a mistake. “He wanted to convince you of pulling the plug, didn’t he?” Cass nodded softly and Tadashi clenched his jaw, as if biting down his probably nasty retort. He most likely was. “What did he tell you?” 

Cass hesitated, but Tadashi prompted. She shyly continued, “He’s concerned about you.” 

Tadashi raised a surprised eyebrow. “What about me?” 

Cass took a deep breath. “He told me something that caught my attention, which I had already noticed before,” again, Tadashi prompted, “I am not going to convince you that you should take Hiro off life support… he’s my nephew and I love him… but his point was that you are not well.” Tadashi looked like he wanted to say something, but his aunt didn’t let him interrupt, “I’ve noticed too. Each day you look more worn down, each day that Hiro doesn’t wake up. He might wake up soon… but he might not. And you don’t notice that you’re slowly dying as well.” 

Tadashi was taken aback by his aunt’s words, not sure where this was going. “I am going to take better care of myself,” he promised, wondering if this would appease his aunt. Apparently, it didn’t. 

“That’s not what I mean,” she clarified, deciding that she may need a more straightforward approach, “This is not easy for me to say, Tadashi, and the last thing I want to do is to make you angry. You heard what the doctor said; Hiro’s body is collapsing and each day he’s further away from us. If… If you don’t let go, you will lose it. You will lose your hope, your light, everything.” 

Tadashi frowned. “So you are talking about unplugging Hiro,” he softly said, not knowing of being confused, enraged or hurt was the next step. 

“No, I’m talking about keeping you alive,” Cass retorted, a little more firmly, “We don’t know if… if Hiro _will_ wake up. I can’t lose both of you at the same time.” 

The eldest Hamada felt a tiny pang of guilt for making his aunt feel like that, but just the thought of letting Hiro go set him on edge and anger won over his kindness. He stood up and started pacing, feeling conflicted, confused and hurt that his aunt was even suggesting this. Part of him knew she was right, and if he stopped to think about it, he would realize it made sense… and the other part of him didn’t want for it to make sense. He didn’t want for it to make sense, he didn’t want the rational side to win because then he would make the choice he didn’t want to make. He let his anger take over, overriding any common sense. 

Cass was starting to think that maybe she should’ve kept her mouth shut. 

“I can’t,” Tadashi finally said a few minutes of pacing with his voice tight, forcibly contained, “I am not taking Hiro off life support.” 

“Tadashi-” his aunt started, sounding apologetic, but he would have none of it. 

“Don’t say anything,” he interrupted, turning towards her with a glare that would freeze the devil himself in place, and she realized that she’d made him really angry; understandably so. “Don’t talk to me right now, because you can’t possibly understand what I’m going through.” Cass took a step back, deeply hurt and wide eyed. Tadashi was going to keep going, but her expression made him stop. And then he realized what he said and his anger evaporated as fast as it came. “Aunt Cass-” 

“Don’t you tell me that I don’t know what you’re going through,” she interrupted with a trembling voice, hiding her face from him with her hair, “You, better than anyone, should know that if someone in this world understands what you’re going through, that’s me.” She took a deep breath and raised her teary eyes towards him, “I’ve done everything in my power to take care of you, because you’re my sister’s boys. And overtime you became my boys. You know that I would never suggest this if I could see another way. But I’m watching you slowly slip away from me and I can’t take that. Hiro might be too far gone for us, but you’re still here and all I can see is that you’re fading away from me. I am trying to be strong for all of us… I am also scared, and I also feel helpless, for Hiro and for you.” Cass was left panting, and after venting her feelings like that she covered her mouth to stifle a sob that escaped her. Tadashi breached the distance between them and pulled her in for a hug, one that felt like the ones she gave them when they were sad. He held her as she cried, letting out the stress of two years watching her nephews getting worse by the minute and being unable to do anything. 

“I’m sorry Aunt Cass,” Tadashi told her after she’d calmed down, and her tone told her that he meant it, “I don’t know what happened to me.” 

“I do,” she replied, “You’re stressed, and tired, and you feel useless and hopeless. That’s what happened to you; you needed to let it out.” 

“That might be right,” he retorted, “But I never should’ve taken it out on you.” 

Cass let herself chuckle a little, if only to relieve the tension. “Then I guess we’re both sorry,” she said, “I shouldn’t have said it now.” 

“I doubt I could’ve taken it any better at any other time, Aunt Cass,” Tadashi sighed, “It’s just too painful.” 

“I know, sweetie, I know,” Cass agreed, and they feel into a comfortable silence before breaking the hug and returning to Hiro’s bedside. 

* * *

A few hours had gone by when Tadashi received a text from Wasabi, telling him that he had some notes for him. He also softly added that his friends were with him, wanting to see Tadashi. He excused himself from the room, not wanting to leave Hiro’s side but needing to do some moving around. His back was stiff and tight with knots from the hunched posture, his neck didn’t feel much better, and his legs were itching to move. So he explained to Aunt Cass where he was going and left to meet his friends at the lobby. 

He felt really bad about how he’d treated his aunt. Sure, she might have said something out of line, but she did out of worry for him. She was alone with the exception of her nephews, the sons of the sister she lost many years ago, and because of that he felt like the most awful person in the entire world. Also, despite the fact that he didn’t want to even consider the possibility, his aunt’s words kept ringing in his head. And he couldn’t help but focus on what she said about Hiro. 

Hiro was dying. Hiro was probably dead already. The only think keeping Hiro breathing and his heart beating was the machines. If he were to take them off… Hiro would stop breathing altogether. What if… what if she was right? What if the doctor was right? What if Hiro never did wake up? How could he deal with that? Could he be able to deal with Hiro being dead… because of him? 

His swirling thoughts made for a pretty gloomy prospect, and that was the face he showed up with when he met his somewhat nervous friends in the lobby. They immediately got caught up in his gloomy mood, like they did whenever it had to do with Hiro’s wellbeing. 

“Hey man,” Wasabi told him when he was close enough, bringing Tadashi abruptly out of his thoughts. He couldn’t help but smile slightly at the sight of his friends there, not willing to leave him alone. Wasabi handed him a bag with his books, and again Tadashi felt really grateful. 

“Thank you, Wasabi,” he answered honestly, but his voice was so tired and defeated that his friends feared for him. 

“You don’t look too good, nerd,” GoGo told him, placing a hand on his shoulder, “What happened?” 

Tadashi looked down, averting his gaze, with a soft sigh and a painful pang on his chest. “Hiro’s heart stopped last night,” he told them, not failing to hear the softs gasp of Honey Lemon and Wasabi. When he looked up at them, their expressions were probably as grim as his, “The doctors brought him back but… it’s not looking too good.” He was regarding with the sympathetic gazes of his friends before being engulfed in such a tight bear hug that he found it hard to breathe. “Guys… Breathe,” he managed to say and they released him. 

“We’re sorry Tadashi,” Honey Lemon told him honestly, and Tadashi’s heart clenched at the prospect of hearing the same thing under a much darker situation. 

“Me too,” he replied, “Maybe you want to come and see him? Visiting hours are open now, and maybe… you could help.” 

Fred’s face broke into a grin, although not as wide as they usually were. “We’ll do what we can,” he exclaimed, earning a few grins from the rest of his friends. 

“If we can do anything for your family,” GoGo continued with an amused eye roll, “We’ll do it.” They smiled when they saw Tadashi smile softly at them, beckoning them to follow him back upstairs and towards the room four hundred and twenty. 

* * *

Hiro arrived on time at school. Actually, he arrived very early. So early, that when Wasabi saw him there he raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Are my eyes deceiving me?” He’d asked, prompting Hiro to roll his eyes unamused. 

“You know, when I want I can actually be on time?” Hiro commented nonchalantly, earning a snicker from the ever punctual Wasabi. 

“Sure, if that makes you sleep better at night,” was the older man’s retort but Hiro could’ve cared a little less. He made his way to the office that belonged to his brothers, eyeing Tadashi’s hat with wistfulness and yearning. 

Hiro printed some papers he needed to hand that day and uploaded the info of his USB into his computer to work on it later. He wouldn’t use it in a good two hours anyway. Just as he was about to leave to get to his class on time, he got sort of ambushed by his friends. 

“So Wasabi was right after all,” GoGo said popping her gum, “You actually arrived early.” 

Hiro looked appalled by a moment, “C’mon guys, I don’t always arrive late!” There were different murmurs and expressions of their disagreement, making Hiro to not-pout in a very manly way at them. “And you’re teaming up against me, I can’t believe it.” 

His friends replied with snickers and laughs. Hiro made his way to the door, but something Fred said left his hand hanging above the doorknob. 

“Come on Hiro, you’ve got to wake up!” he said excitedly, “We miss having you around, and you still have to see my new rare collection of comics.” 

Hiro turned around with a raised eyebrow. “What did you say?” 

“I told you if you wanted to hang out later at my house,” the blond guy answered, with a tone that clearly said he was repeating himself, even though what Hiro heard was something totally different, “I have this new collection to show you. It’s going to be awesome!” 

The guy pumped his fist and Hiro decided to ignore his uneasiness when he answered him. “Of course, but I return to the café early. Aunt Cass needs some help over there. Now I need to-” 

Honey Lemon interrupted him. “You know, Hiro, we grew very fond of you even if we only spent a few weeks together. Don’t leave us hanging and come back soon, okay?” 

Hiro frowned. “What are you talking about?” 

“I was talking about the project we need to hand out next week; I asked if you had it ready?” When Hiro didn’t answer, still confused, she took a step forward and invaded his personal space. “Are you feeling okay? Would you like Baymax to scan you?” 

The teen shook his head, the uneasiness growing by the second, “No, I’m okay, but thanks for your concern.” 

“Woman up, Hiro,” GoGo piped in, “If you don’t come back, who knows what will happen to this big nerd around here. Besides, you still need to show us everything you have to give. I’m sure SFIT will let you enroll given past experiences.” 

Hiro took a step backwards, bumping into the door, growing scared by the second. GoGo frowned at him. “Perhaps you should go to the infirmary,” she told him, “You look a little pale.” 

“No, I’m okay,” Hiro insisted, perhaps a little too fast. What he needed was his mind to stop playing tricks on him. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the concerned eyes of Wasabi boring into his own. “We all miss you little man, so hurry up and wake up to see my plasma induced laser in action.” Hiro blinked owlishly at him, understanding his words but not making sense of them. The big man spoke again, and like the others, he acted as he hadn’t said what he previously did, “You look a little queasy Hiro, perhaps a day off would do you good.” 

Hiro didn’t bother replying, too freaked out as he was, and instead just bolted out the door as if a pack of rabid dogs was after him. He felt something on his hand, but when he looked at it, it was completely normal. Nothing was there. He stared at it and soon he felt it again, on his hand and his hair, but there was just nothing there. He walked faster towards his lecture hall, and sat down, trying to make himself small in his seat. 

Again the phantom touches, and again the voices. Only this time, they seemed to have been projected outwards. They seemed to real to be hallucinations, though; not at all like the first time he’d heard them, like a whisper in the wind. No, this time it seemed almost as if they were right there next to him, and even though his friends were, the voices were from his head. He knew as much because of the tone in which they spoke, which didn’t match the expressions on his friend’s faces. Especially GoGo’s voice, who even though taunted him like she always did, it somehow felt warmer, softer, while her face remained as stoic as ever. 

When he looked at the clock and realize he still had a few minutes to spare, he went to the bathroom. He splashed his face with cold water and stared at his reflection, the water dripping from his face, and he noticed that he didn’t look all that good. Besides being awake all night, he felt as if his cheeks had somehow hollowed out, and his skin seemed a little waxy. For a second, he saw himself as a sickly teenager who appeared to be not taking care of himself. 

Then he blinked and the image was gone. Back were his round cheeks, which looked good on the face that had left puberty behind some time back, and his skin now looked healthier in color. The bags under his eyes didn’t disappear because he lacked sleep, but somehow they seemed less deep and less purple. His eyes were back to their usual shine even if they looked trouble. As trouble as he felt inside, he supposed. 

He ran a hand through his hair as he left the bathroom. “Just what the heck is wrong with me?” he asked, to no one in particular, as he entered the lecture hall for the hour and a half long lecture on the Ethical Principles of Modern Robotics. Peachy; so far his day had consisted of nightmares, chest pains, phantom touches and auditory hallucinations and it was just seven thirty in the morning. 

* * *

Tadashi watched his friends say their supportive words to Hiro, who was as unresponsive as the last two tortuous years. His heart broke as his aunt’s words echoed in his mind, making his mind unable to stop thinking about it. And he hated it. Two years ago he would have fought tooth and nail against letting someone, anyone, much less himself, take Hiro away from him. But now… he hated to admit that he was losing faith. 

His friends turned away from the unresponsive teen and stared at him with a puzzled look, and Tadashi was so distracted in his thoughts that he missed how they shared a worried glance before GoGo took the initiative and came towards him. She snapped her fingers in front of his face. 

Tadashi came back with a slight yelp. “You okay there, Hamada? You look gloomier than usual,” she said, trying to bring some humor into the situation. But not even her well-intended attempt brought the smallest of smiles to the eldest Hamada’s face. He sighed deeply. He threw one last longing look at Hiro, before motioning for his friends to follow him outside of the room. 

He might be losing faith, but if there was the tiniest hope Hiro was fighting for his life in that room, Tadashi didn’t want him listening to this conversation. The gang again shared a worried look before following him outside, to the hall, where Tadashi promptly sat against the wall, looking tired and defeated. Hopeless. That was never a good sign. 

Fred, Honey, GoGo and Wasabi sat down next to him, careful not to disturb the passing. They didn’t say anything, but waited for Tadashi to speak on his own. After a few minutes and a couple of deep breaths, he did. “Hiro’s heart stopped last night,” he ignored the barely audible gasps from his friends, deducing absentmindedly that Wasabi didn’t tell them everything, for which he was kind of grateful, “And the doctor talked to us about taking Hiro off life support… again.” 

The four friends frowned with worry and confusion. “I thought you weren’t even considering that option,” Fred commented softly, surprising everyone with the seriousness of his tone and how he seemed to catch the worries of his friend. 

Tadashi sighed deeply. “I’m not… I wasn’t…” he groaned in annoyance and buried his head in his hands, “I just don’t know what to do anymore. The doctor spoke to Aunt Cass alone, and she spoke to me, and what she said… she’s true. We don’t know when, or if, Hiro is ever going to wake up and the wait is slowly killing us. It is also destroying our small and already broken family.” 

They listened attentively, reserving their commentaries until they thought it was appropriate. They knew it was a very hard choice for anyone, especially more so for Tadashi given his past, and it wouldn’t do any good to add salt to the wounds. He felt bad enough as it was. What they could do now was let him talk, and maybe then could they input something in a little while. 

Tadashi looked up from his hands, his eyes red and puffy and looking downright miserable. “What if he’s hurting?” he suddenly asked, carrying on from previously, “What if every time they run tests, get his blood… revive his heart… what if that hurts him? What if by keeping him here he’s in pain? And all because I don’t want to lose him… Is it really bad that I don’t want to lose him? Would he be angry at me for trying to keep him with me?” 

It looked as if he’d stopped talking to them, looking with glazed eyes straight to the wall ahead, and they just knew he had to get that out of his chest, if his non-stopping tears were anything to go by. They too had tears in their eyes, knowing that Tadashi had been hurting himself with those thoughts that he now presented as questions, and they decided silently with just a look that they couldn’t let the poor man torture himself like this any further. 

“Tadashi, look at me,” Honey started deciding to take initiative. The man turned owlish eyes towards her, “You aren’t doing anything wrong, you hear me? Maybe we don’t know what’s going on inside Hiro’s head, but we can tell for a fact that he would never be angry at you for staying with him, for not abandoning him.” 

Wasabi took over, “We can’t understand what you’re going through, and we are not going to tell you what to choose, but if you choose to keep waiting for him then you are in your right to do so. That’s why the doctors keep asking you to consider it, because in the end it’s your every right to want your brother alive.” 

“Besides, I doubt they see anything else but another statistic,” GoGo piped in, “And money. For them this case is over, and they would want to give this room to someone else, but they can’t because Hiro’s still here. Sometimes doctors stop seeing their patients as people, and I’m talking because I grew up in a family of doctors and around hospital. They don’t really understand the pain you’re going through.” 

Fred gave an enthusiastic nod, letting the others speak because he didn’t want to screw this up. He couldn’t afford to. 

“Whatever you choose Tadashi, will be the right choice. Whether you decide is time to take Hiro off life support or keep him connected to the machines that breathe for him, will be the right choice if you do it with previous contemplation and time,” Honey finished, staring dead into Tadashi’s eyes. 

The inventor’s eyes grew wide and he stared at them with surprise, relief, and most importantly, hope. His eyes still shed tears, but it looked as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he told them sincerely, his voice full of feeling, “Thank you.” 

Afterwards they all leaned in a group hug to give one final touch of comfort to their friend before leaving for the night. They still had projects and things to work on, and Wasabi once pointed out that he could take as many classes as he needed, he’d still take notes. His friends also insisted that they’d visit more often and that they were ready to lend a hand if anything else came up. 

When they were gone, Tadashi got back into the room, his heart still breaking at the sight of his baby brother like that but with a new spirit that made the future look a little brighter. He sat down on the abused plastic chair by the bed and started stroking Hiro’s hair softly. “I’m still here bonehead,” the eldest Hamada told his sleeping brother, “I’m not giving up on you.” 

* * *

Hiro walked towards the lab with a sour face. He somehow dreaded to meet with his friends after that morning, because after all, the problem was with him. Surprisingly, when he arrived, he didn’t see them there. Then he remembered that he still had an hour of class before they could come to the lab to work on their respective projects. Hiro released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. 

For some reason he felt tired than usual. Then he remembered that he woke up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare, followed by a pain in his chest that kept him up until it was time for his classes to start. Yeah, no wonder he was tired at all. Hiro figured a small nap in his brother’s, now his, office wouldn’t harm him, and so when he arrived, he flopped down on the bean bag he’d brought over when he realize Tadashi didn’t even have a place to sit comfortably. In a matter of minutes he was asleep. 

However, his desire of a quick, peaceful nap wasn’t granted. 

The minute his eyes closed, he was trapped in the flaming hall where the showcase took place. He was looking for a way out, feeling his chest constricting with the lack of oxygen and his panic rising. Among the flames, suddenly, he saw his way out all the way across and he started the laborious task of getting there. He stopped briefly when he heard Tadashi’s voice resounding in his head. _I’m still here bonehead._ Hiro shook it off because Tadashi was… Tadashi was… he was what? It was something important, but in the haze of the dream he couldn’t remember it. _I’m not giving up on you_. 

 _What does that even mean?!_ Hiro thought in sudden anger as he still tried to get out of the fire. But suddenly there was an explosion, throwing him to the side and he saw as rubble from the ceiling made his way towards him in a deadly collision. 

The world went black, but when he was supposed to wake up, he didn’t. 

He could feel himself fading inside the rubble, which somewhat shielding him from the angry flames even when the smoke still filtered through. The dream mixed with reality as the smoke became easier to breathe, and he realized that something was blowing directly into his nostrils, keeping him alive. 

But it was still dark, so he tried to open his eyes only to realize he couldn’t feel them. He didn’t know where his eyes were. Or the rest of his body, for that matter; only his nose apparently and… wait… there was something else. Something soft on his side, against his hand! That was his hand. Maybe, if he focused on the feeling enough, he would be able to find his hand. So he focused, very hard, harder than he’d ever done, and he found it. His hand, warm as something soft brush against its surface; he wanted to reach for that something, because it made him feel safe. 

But he was tired, very tired, as only focusing on that tiny spot drained his strength. 

He felt the darkness drawing him back in, but something must have happened in the meantime, because there was a voice that he recognized that spoke next to him, “Hiro?” 

He couldn’t do much as his world spun into darkness. 

* * *

It moved.  

It was small, almost imperceptible. 

If it wasn’t for Tadashi holding Hiro’s hand, he would’ve missed the way his middle finger moved against his hand. 

“Hiro?” he asked, barely able to contain himself, as he leaned over the bed and towards the nurse button. While the nurse arrived, he studied his brother’s face for any sign of awareness, anything to point out that he’d hear him, that this was not a fluke, not his imagination, that this was real. 

So the nurse clearly grew alarmed when she arrived to see the older brother leaning very close on top of the unconscious patient. “What’s happened?” she asked, ready to get into emergency mode if needed. 

“He moved,” Tadashi answered, looking at the nurse with such hopeful, optimistic eyes, that she felt bad she’d need to tell him that it was probably just an automatic reflex and that it didn’t mean anything, especially as the boy on the bed wasn’t giving the usual signs of stirring. 

However, if only to appease the Hamada’s mind, she went to the printer next to the bed that monitored and recorded all brain activity from the unconscious boy. She expected the line to be almost flat as brain activity steadily declined in coma patients; however, when she saw the sudden spike of activity printed on the sheet, her eyes widened and she was left speechless. The man next to his brother noticed, but interpreted it the wrong way. 

“What’s wrong? Why don’t you say anything?” his voice grew along with his anxiety, “I swear I felt him move. It was a finger on his hand, but after two years of nothing, it has to mean something, doesn’t it?” 

She snapped out of her wonder and she looked up at him with a small smile, taken the paper and ripping it from the printer. “I think everything’s okay,” she told him, “I just need to take this to the doctor.” The nurse left without leaving him time to reply, eager of the new developments, but Tadashi took it as bad news and his stomach churned in dread. 

He turned towards his brother once more, grabbing his face by the sides. “Do it again, Hiro, please,” he asked his slumbering brother, not getting a response or a sign that he’d been heard, “C’mon, I know you’re in there, please do it again.” 

The nurse came back with the doctor in tow, both looking grim, and Tadashi felt like throwing up. This couldn’t be good. 

* * *

 Hiro woke up feeling confused. The first thing he thought was that he could feel his eyes again and he opened them, facing bright eyes that forced him to close said eyes again. The second thing he thought about was his brother’s voice, and the strange meaning behind the words, which led him to his third thought, which was the fire at the showcase. 

As his mind slowly recovered from the shock and the dream, he tried to tell himself that it was just a dream. However, the sensations were too real; the heat around him, the smell of everything burning around him, the pain in his lungs as he tried to breathe oxygen that wasn’t present in the air, suffocating him. And finally, that oppressive darkness forcing him down, pulling him, while the soft sensation in his nose and hand remained firmly there. 

It made no sense. 

He knew for a fact he hadn’t gone inside the burning building, that one had been Tadashi. And because of that, Tadashi was dead now. 

Yet for some reason, that didn’t feel as real anymore. 

He couldn’t explain it, but he didn’t feel the same pain in his heart when he thought about Tadashi’s death, like it usually did. 

Strangely he felt the same way when he read comics and characters died. He knew it wasn’t real, or that they’d come back in later volumes anyway, and because of that their deaths had no real impact. But Tadashi was his brother, and he had run into a burning building dying in the process… right? 

But… the voice calling to him… strong, present, close to him. It wasn’t like the ghosts of voices he’d started hearing on the anniversary of his brother’s death, it was more… Real… or at least it felt that way. 

Hiro jumped startled when the door to his lab opened and their friends minus Fred stormed in as usual. The sixteen years old teen eyed them as if seeing for the first time, feeling something off. With them, with him, with the environment, something wasn’t right. He looked at the clock and realized everything had happened under an hour, because now his friends had just finished their last classes. 

“Hiro!” GoGo snapped her fingers in front of his face with an annoyed, slightly worried expression. 

“You okay there?” Wasabi asked him when he finally focused on them again, and he realized that they’d been probably calling for him the last couple of minutes. 

“Sorry, I guess I spaced out,” he apologize, earning a disbelieving snort from GoGo. 

“You think?” she retorted, raising an eyebrow, making Hiro look at all of them sheepishly. 

“What’s on your mind, Hiro?” Honey Lemon intervened, concern clear in her eyes and in her voice. 

Hiro sighed deeply, not wanting to get into this conversation again, “Nothi-” 

“Don’t you dare say nothing,” GoGo snapped at him with a threatening finger, “You’ve been acting weird since this morning. Now spill.” 

Hiro was just wondering how to get out of this one when Fred arrived making his weird noises and poses. The teen took this as the perfect opportunity to escape, grabbing his bag and sprinting out the door and out of the lab, ignoring the yells of his friends behind him. 

* * *

“What do you mean is just a reflex?!” Tadashi practically yelled in anger, “I felt his finger move. It wasn’t just a small twitch, but an actual lifting of the thing.” 

“I understand that’s what you think you felt, Mr. Hamada,” the doctor retorted in an annoyingly calm voice, only manage to infuriate Tadashi a little more, “But is normal for comatose patients to every now and then twitch or, as you put it, move slightly.” 

“I know what a reflex is,” Tadashi replied through gritted teeth, remembering the lessons, lectures, books and more research he had to do to build Baymax, “But that would make sense if there had been some sort of pattern. More twitches or something. But in two years Hiro hasn’t move an inch, and now he’s finally done something!” 

The doctor sighed deeply, about to explain for the thousand time, when his viper went off. He looked at it and returned a hard glare to the twenty three year old desperate man. “I have to go to an actual emergency, Mr. Hamada, so I’ll just repeat this one last time. What you thought was Hiro moving by his own free will is only an automatic reflex from the body that doesn’t require presence of the mind. Hiro is not waking up today, Mr. Hamada, good day.” The doctor gave him a curt nod and left the room briskly, making a vein pop in Tadashi’s forehead. 

The nurse, however, didn’t move and tried to approach him shyly. “If is any consolation,” she started, trying to make the man feel a little better, “There was an increase in brain activity when I checked the encephalography. Maybe he’s not waking up today, but he’s still there and fighting. Don’t lose hope.” 

Tadashi’s gaze softened and he gave her a polite nod as thanks before she left to continue on her rounds to other rooms. Then he sighed dejectedly and went back to Hiro’s bedside, grabbing the younger’s hand once more, resigned to spend the rest of the time he had waiting for a sign, a movement… anything, really. 

“Don’t give up, Hiro.” 

* * *

Hiro stopped when it seemed that his friends weren’t after him, and when he turned his head he realized he was in front of the rebuilt hall that bore his brother’s name. However, instead of staring at it longingly with sadness, now he narrowed his eyes at it, because it too felt… off. 

He walked towards it, and he suddenly had flashes of the hall as it used to be before the fire. It lasted a millisecond, but he saw it, and that brief image in his head felt more real than the building standing in front of him. His head started to ache dully as more flashes passed behind his eyelids. 

Hiro on the stage, showing his microbots to the intrigued crowd; Hiro speaking to Callaghan, who handed him his admission letter; Hiro staying behind to secure the microbots and the neurotransmitter while Tadashi and their friends went ahead with Aunt Cass. That wasn’t he usually remember, that’s not how it went that night. But it was enough for him to raise his head towards the hall, for the first time starting to feel that everything around him wasn’t real. That he wasn’t real. Hiro heard his friends behind him, yelling and looking for him, and he decided he couldn’t see them until he sorted this mess out. If he ended up in a mental asylum but had a logical explanation to this, he’d consider himself happy. 

So he stood and sprinted to the nearest building, even when the movement made him slightly dizzy, which was the exhibition hall named after his brother. 

The nearer he got to it, the more his headache seemed to increase in intensity. But he ignored it, determined to get to the bottom of it one and for all. However, as he got to the doors, he hesitated. New images popped behind his eyelids, overlapping with those he’d always assumed were real. People running around him as a panicked mob, falling down and staying down for a good while; standing up shakily to see his microbots engulfed in flames behind him; which once more wasn’t what he remembered of that night two years ago.  

Behind him he hears rushed steps that gradually stopped, and he turned to see Fred, GoGo, Honey Lemon and Wasabi in front of him. They’d found him, great. 

“What are you doing here, Hiro?” Honey asked, tensed and her facial expression of faked enthusiasm and her smile a little too forced, “I haven’t heard of any exhibition at this time of the year.” 

Hiro then realized, suddenly, that they knew something he didn’t. They couldn’t be trusted as of that moment. He shrugged, playing it cool. “I just want to check something out, I’ll be quick.” 

The teen turned towards the door, but GoGo’s sudden outburst stopped him. “You can’t go in there, Hiro!” she exclaimed at him, her eyes narrowed with annoyance and… was that anger? 

He narrowed his eyes as well, “And why the heck not?” 

Wasabi looked between GoGo and Hiro and attempted to be the one to calmly resolve things, “If you in there, Hiro, something bad will happen.” Hiro frowned in confusion, hesitating once more in front of the door, but this time a little less eager to solve the mystery. Wasabi took that as a good sign and continued, “Something that will affect all of us.” 

“And what’s that?” Hiro asked, suddenly suspicious, especially when none of his friends answered. They instead looked nervously at each other. 

GoGo huffed in annoyance, “Come on, we’re wasting our time Hiro. There’s nothing there, it’s empty, like it always is when there’s nothing going on.” 

“Besides, you still need to work on your project, don’t you?” Honey added, looking somewhat more relieved than before, making the teen suspicious again. 

But he slowly got away from the door and towards his friends… because they wouldn’t lie to him, would they. 

Their postures relaxed as did their expressions with every step he took, and Hiro started to feel something heavy in his head as the ache dulled to almost nonexistent levels. More flashes before his eyes, flashes of Tadashi running towards the building, of his funeral, of his grief and Baymax and their adventure against Callaghan, asserted the heaviness that slowly settled into his heart as well, and thoughts of the mystery going to the furthest corners of his mind. 

Hiro almost reached his friends when a voice he knew very well brought back everything that had been happening to him in the last couple of days, and he froze in place. _Don’t give up, Hiro_. His friends stiffened in place, and Hiro’s eyes narrowed. 

“You can hear it too, don’t you?” he asked them, anger seeping into his voice, and their deer-in-the-headlights look confirmed his thoughts, “And you let me believe I was crazy.” 

“You don’t understand Hiro,” Honey attempted to approach him, but before she could he sprinted back to the hall and threw himself at the door, ignoring the cries of the gang behind him. 

His headache came back full force, almost making him fall to the floor, but he managed to steady himself on a pillar nearby. However, he had to take his hand back fast because the pillar was on fire, and as Hiro looked around, he realized that the whole place was engulfed in flames. The throbbing pain in his head doubled as more flashes started to play before him; coughing and getting smoke into his lungs as he looked for an exit; finding one and being determined to get there. And then the explosion, sending him flying, colliding into something and then being covered by rubble. He remembered the sharp pain on his head before everything faded into darkness. 

As the memories flooded him, they overlapped with his current situation, and Hiro felt suddenly paralyzed in fear and unable to move. What was he supposed to do now? Could he go back? He turned around only to find that the exit previously there was gone, and he felt his heart rate increase with his panic. He looked around, but all he could see were the flames. He needed to get out, and he needed to do it now. 

* * *

 Tadashi was about to leave for the night when a sound stopped him. It was a sharp gasp, followed by choking breaths, from behind him. He turned just when the alarms went off, signaling something very wrong going on with his brother’s heart. 

The twenty three year old man barely registered the fact that the nurse in turn ran inside, followed by a couple more and the doctor. He didn’t notice when he was manhandled to stand outside, and only when the door shut on his face and he was unable to see his brother, the reality caught up with him. 

Hiro was having another cardiac arrest in less than two days. 

Hiro was dying. 

* * *

Hiro thought he was in pretty deep and that things couldn’t get worse, but he was wrong when suddenly his chest tightened and he fell to the ground with a gasp of pain. He realized that he couldn’t breathe, even when the thing choking him wasn’t the smoke itself. 

The sixteen year old teen was only aware of one fact: if he didn’t get out of there, and fast, he was going to die. 

Perhaps that’s what his friends were trying to warn him about. 

But now it was too late to go back, he had to move forwards. 

He looked around himself and saw, across the room, a door with green angry letter above it that read ‘EXIT’. He didn’t think twice before making his way over there. 

He was expecting the explosion that always stopped him from reaching the door, but it never came. Hiro didn’t know if that was a good sign or a bad one. Still, he couldn’t focus on that too much as he had to avoid falling debris, flames, burning rubble on the floor, and that plus his now fully developed migraine, shortness of breath and chests in his pain. 

But he carried on. 

Because he knew that something good awaited him on the other side. 

He heard a voice, but he honestly couldn’t discern if it was far or close, real or imaginary; it simply was everywhere. 

 _CLEAR!_  

* * *

Tadashi paced the floor. Aunt Cass sat on the floor next to the door, biting her nails. The gang was told to wait on the waiting room, seeing as visiting hours were already over and they weren’t direct family. The wait seemed eternal, especially when the sounds on the other side didn’t sound very promising. 

Inside the room, the doctor was doing CPR on the teenager’s chest with enough force to bruise, trying to get his erratic beating back into normal ratings. Then he asked for the pallets and placed them on the boy’s chest, wondering in the back of his head if this was it for the boy who’d been sleeping for two years. 

“CLEAR!” he called as he released the electric current on Hiro’s chest, immediately looking towards the screen and see if there had been a change. There hadn’t. This kid’s heart was failing him. 

He tried a few more times, and he did the best he could to ensure this boy kept on living. 

But when the line went line, there was nothing he could do. 

He could only watch with sad, regretful eyes as the line went on infinitely flat, the constant beep a haunting sound that would keep him awake at night. 

The door behind him opened and he was acutely aware of horrified gasps and horrible sobbing from the people waiting outside the door, the boy’s family. But he could do nothing now, even when he wished with every fiber of his being he could. 

“Time of death…” 

* * *

Suddenly everything stopped and Hiro felt weightless. 

He’d managed to make it to the door. If he opened it, he would solve everything. If he went through it, he could put an end to this nightmare. 

But he was scared. 

What would he find on the other side? Tadashi, or his parents? Was he already dead or dying? Was he going to disappear, or find a strange dimension waiting for him? 

Then the earth moved and shook, and all around him the place started to crumble down. He supposed that was normal, for he was inside a burning building, but something still felt much more definite that just that. Something more permanent. 

He was proven right when a big chunk fell on the floor, and the floor collapsed as well, revealing beneath him an endless void. Hiro felt a cold chill run down his spine, and he knew it was over. If he fell there, it would be over forever. 

So he swallowed his fear and crossed the threshold, hoping he would find what he was looking for, even when he didn’t know what it was. 

* * *

A beep interrupted the doctor. Not a minute had gone by since they stopped the resuscitation process, when a beep sounded, followed by another. The doctor turned his head towards the screen and much to his surprise there was a beating. Small, frail, but there it was. 

Immediately he went to work, continuing the cardiac massage, hoping to relieve some stress from the kid’s body. 

Then under his hands he felt something moving, stirring for the first time in two years. 

Hiro Hamada came back to the real world with a violent gasp that immediately triggered a coughing fit, which must have been causing the boy a lot of pain because he still had a tube down his throat. “Nurse, sedate him,” he ordered, still working on the heart. 

A few moments later the teen slumped back onto the bed, and the doctor sighed relieved. 

The crisis was over. 

The beat was steady. 

The boy was breathing by himself. 

The boy was awake. 

He turned towards the family, petrified in the threshold of the room, and gave them a soft, comforting smile that came with a nod. The man’s face broke into a bright grin, and the petite woman sobbed from relief, or happiness, or stress, whichever fit. They hugged each other tightly and came into the room, just as the nurse left with all the equipment that kept Hiro breathing for two years after happily confirming that the boy was, indeed breathing on his own. 

* * *

Hiro was surrounded by darkness. 

He tried to open his eyes, and he felt relieved when he could actually find them. 

But they were heavy, and it seemed like a lot of effort to open them. 

Something else caught his attention then; a soft touch on the back of his hand, another on his head. Soft breaths next to his arm that tickled him, and he would’ve moved if he’d found the strength to do so. So he didn’t. 

He just stayed there, relishing in the fact of his breathing, fresh air. 

His chest felt sore, making it just a tiny bit painful when he inhaled deeply, but not enough that he couldn’t. 

Around him, someone shuffled immediately. 

“Hiro?” a male voice which sounded suspiciously like his brother asked, the soft touch on his hand replaced by a firm grip. When nothing happened, the voice insisted, “Come on bonehead, wake up already.” He laughed, but is sounded somewhat nervous. 

Still, the encouragement was all Hiro needed to go through the effort of opening his eyes. 

Slowly, me managed to pry open his lead like eyelids, but the first thing he saw was a blurry silhouette of someone above him. It felt as if something heavy was on his eyes and he couldn’t see. He blinked a couple of times, slowly, but that only seemed to blur his vision more, and suddenly he felt something soft pressing against his eyes and he could see. 

Above him was Tadashi, sporting a big relieved smile while his eyes twinkled with tears. Hiro could see now some sliding down his brother’s cheek, and wondered briefly why he was crying. 

“Hey there knucklehead,” Tadashi greeted him, and Hiro felt his lips curving into the smallest of smiles. 

“Hey,” he said and he realized that his throat hurt. It was dry, like sand, but it also felt raw, like when he got the flu and couldn’t stop coughing. Tadashi seemed to notice and he disappeared from his view only to return moments later and placing something on his dry lips. Hiro sucked from the greedily, feeling the liquid slide down his throat, soothing it greatly. “Wha… happen’d?” Hiro asked then, and he frowned distressed when he realized that he couldn’t… that his tongue didn’t move the way it should… and it tasted funny. 

“Easy there,” Tadashi tried to calm him down, “You were sedated, and that’s probably why you can’t speak. When the sedative wears off, the doctor will take you to run some analyses to evaluate if there’s brain damage?” 

Hiro’s frown deepened, “Why?” His voice sounded weird, slurred and tipsy. 

Tadashi looked down before returning his gaze towards his baby brother. “It’s a long story,” he told him, purposely avoiding the question, “But you’re okay now, and that’s what matter.” 

Hiro wondered for a moment what was that Tadashi was hiding from him. He wondered why he felt so relieved to see his brother there, in the flesh, and frowned again when he remembered something about his brother dying. But that wasn’t possible, if Tadashi was right there next to him. If anything, perhaps Hiro was the one injured if he was in the hospital. 

He smiled dopily and thanked the heaves for the drug running through his system, making it impossible for him to panic just at the thought of being in the place that reeked of illness and death. Tadashi returned his smile, also realizing that Hiro was kind of out of his game at the moment and deciding that he would fret over how to break the news to his baby brother once the sedative wore off. According to the nurse, he still had a couple of hours, and Aunt Cass wouldn’t be back for a while from picking some things for Hiro back at the café. Yes, Tadashi could have some fun now that the worst was over. 

He didn’t know if everything would be okay in the future, but he was certain that any challenge they might face in the future, they’d do it together. 

And that thought alone was enough to reassure Tadashi, as he looked at Hiro staring at the ceiling with half-lidded, clouded eyes, and laughed at whatever. 

Yes, for now, they were okay. 

**Author's Note:**

> I want to hear your opinion on a sequel.  
> Please.  
> Or just your opinion in general.  
> Thanks.


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